Month: February 2017

Late update today, but I’m determined to stay on schedule so here we go. As I said last time Archimede is better at this stuff than I am, so here he is to briefly discuss the second world in The Last Chronicle of Azurden series. Take it away.

“Is this really necessary? You know only a few people are even going to see this.”

Ha ha, Archimede, these get archived. Future readers will want-

“Oh yes, they’ll want to dig through long lists of old posts to see the one you happened to write today. As a historian, I’ll tell you that’s incredibly unlikely.”

He’s just a little distracted everyone, he wants to get back to-

“Don’t tell them how I feel. This is a waste of my time and you know it! I have a million other things to do aside from coming out on your version of Free Haven’s Linked Network and updating your social page. Besides from what’s going on in this ‘Face Book’ I see your world is well on it’s way to following in the footsteps of ou-”

Anyway! I suppose I’ll take the reigns again and give a brief introduction to the continent of Enavordin and some of the places that inhabit it.

“Humph! Rude.”

First of all, unlike Azurden, Enavordin is a continent, not the world. This might cause some confusion for the first book as-

“That is terrible. Is that how you described Azurden?”

Well, yes, kinda. But-

“Oh move over. Enavordin is a large continent consisting of the lands of Loringlund, Atlia, Stratholme, and the two independent settlements of Dawnfire Keep and Brione. There are, other, smaller independent entities, but for the sake of the one who demanded I update this page for him, and my sanity, I cannot discuss them just yet.”

You know, I’m right here.

“As they read, one might realize that Enavordin is… more mature, than the smaller world of Azurden. It was discovered long after the events of Azurden came to an end, and as a result, carries with it more complex entities, such as a developed feudal system, established networks of trade, more natural geographic features, and, what I can assume to be a magic system based more in ancient traditions rather than the ‘point point pew pew’ nonsense I see all over Free Haven’s data vids.”

To be fair. There wasn’t much pew pew nonsense in Azurden either.

“Are you kidding? It was all over the place. Was rather fun too, until you decided to-”

Ha Ha, that was only because I didn’t understand how electronics and pyrotechnics worked yet. Azurden is actually very scientifi-

“You had a villain that could shoot fireballs. A giant bull with a magic axe. A dolphin that could control plants. And a fox from outer space that could make death rays and turn herself into a crystal statue.”

. . . No I didn’t.

“I wrote it all down. In fact, I used to have a partner. Do tell me what happened to-”

And will you look at that! Almost out of time. I’ll have to work some things out with Archimede as to Azurden’s history as it’s obvious he doesn’t quite remember how some things happened correctly.

“I’m not going to let you just leave them out you know. I’ll find a way to bring them back. As a historian it’s my duty to tell the whole story, and I am writing the books.”

It’s hobby day! Above is a picture of my recently established hobby corner. It’s a bit of a mess, but then again, a hobby area that isn’t a mess is a hobby area that isn’t being used. Could it be larger? Sure, but it’s the right size right now, and I’ll continue to show things off as they are moved and added. Right now though, let’s discuss the hobby in general.

I collect, assemble, and paint model soldiers. Call it what you will, I feel it’s a great activity for the artistically inclined. Though not as popular as it was during the days of model trains and paper gliders, it has had many ups and downs over the years as companies come and go, but seems to be on the path of a slow and steady revival. It may never be as mainstream as video games have become, but I find it far more fulfilling completing a real project than killing yet another digital monster in the newest MMO. Not that I have anything against video games per se, but I have never been able to express myself through them to the same level as I can with this. Want to paint a train pink? Paint that train pink! Want to model that airplane your flying after the Red Baron? Go for it! Want to make an army of furries? Well… yes, you can do that to. That’s not to say there aren’t some limitations. A collection isn’t a collection if you aren’t actually collecting something, so the majority of us are limited by the canvas we buy, aka, the types of models and manufactures we choose to use. Much of my stuff currently is from Games Workshop, but recently a number of smaller companies such as Mantic, Privateer Press, and CoolMiniOrNot have begun carving out their shares of the market, and I have been taking a long hard look at them as well. More on those in another post.

Right now however, much of my stuff is still being set up, so I do not yet have a display for taking pictures. I am also currently at work making terrain and scenery to take those pictures with, as models, no matter how well painted, just don’t look that great on a kitchen table under a simple camera flash. That setup will take time, which unfortunately I don’t have a lot of, but as a treat, and to give an idea of what I work with, I have taken a few snaps of a terrain piece I’m currently finishing to be used in games, displays, and photographs for later.

Yes, it doesn’t look like much right now, a dusty temple ruin just leaving the assembly stages, but all of it was made by scrap pieces I had lying around, stuff from movement trays, modeling and railroad sand, and blocks from hirstarts. It will look great once painted, and yes, that is a Space Marine chapter master in the center there.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the Tyranids like it too much, as they ambush this patrol in the middle of the night.

It’s Monday! And according to my previous post, that means its time to start discussing some of the background behind my first series “The Last Chronicle of Azurden”.

So why Azurden in the first place? Why not call it “The First Chronicle of Enavordin”? as that’s the continent most of the story takes place. Well, first, Enavordin didn’t “start” when Renard got pulled into it by Adriana. It already had a rich history that Archimede was, at the time, unaware of. Second, it’s also because the series isn’t so much about the events transpiring on Enavordin as it is about how Azurden met the fate hinted at in the preface of Book One, A Deal in the Darkness, and how the two worlds of Azurden and Enavordin end up affecting each other. Finally, Azurden is the oldest of my many worlds, and as such it only seemed fitting it be one of the first I write about, even if it is from a “looking back” perspective.

To clarify what I mean, I must first point out that unlike some of my other works, this series isn’t something I came up with over a week of brainstorming, or a month of “wild ideas”. It is, in fact, a story that has been twenty six years in the making, and it has been in the making for so long because Azurden was the world of my childhood. It was an escape from the many pressures of adolescent life, a playground for my mind to throw together whatever it wanted, and a place where that pesky “logic” couldn’t pull things down. It had flying whales, a futuristic domed city, gardens that came to life, lands that floated over the ocean, magical gods, and its own fair share of talking animals. Perhaps this will make it quirky for some, thinking they are reading a child’s fantasy, but I did say it has been twenty six years, and a lot of nasty things can happen to a, supposedly, innocent place in that amount of time. In Azurden, the heroes didn’t always win, the villains weren’t always incompetent, and the cities and nations did not always get along. That’s right, even in my imagination, my mind forced me to face some harsh realities. Some would say its a coping mechanism, others would insist I was just abnormal. Whatever the case, as I grew older, Azurden became a darker and more intimidating world, until a time came, at about sixteen years old, I decided something needed to change. What was that change? Well, that will have to be revealed at a far later time, as it has very much to do with the current story. I’m sure there will also be those that notice sixteen does not equate to twenty six. And I certainly wasn’t coming up with this stuff as an infant. That is where next week’s discussion will begin.

Unfortunately, that’s about all I can say at this point and time, as much of Azurden’s existence, and it’s fate, is left up for the book series to reveal. However, we are not done with this place. Far from it. As I highlight characters and places over the coming weeks and months, I will also discuss more of the world around them and reveal bits and pieces of the story that simply aren’t, or can’t, be covered in the scope of the books. I also think I will let Archimede handle the discussions, as he’s much better and more prolific with these things than I am. I’ll instead focus on the upcoming hobby corner discussion on Thursday, as I haven’t made up my mind yet as to where to start with that.

Sincerely,

-Allan B. Anderson

P.S. watching the Atlanta Falcons choke in the final quarter of the Super Bowl is not a great way to start off the week.

For a while, I’ve been trying to decide what to do with this blog. I can’t simply use it for book promotion. That’s what everyone else already does, generally to a low degrees of success. At the same time, I can’t leave it empty while waiting for the next big announcement to come along either. This has gotten me really thinking and I took a look around other blogs (not just authors) to figure out how I can use my own blog best.

First, the page needs more work. I keep saying this, but it remains true. Right now it’s nice and simple, but also a bit generic. The few people that actually visit are no doubt unimpressed and happy to move on to more flashy pages. I don’t blame them, I’m the same way. The problem with that is I lack the resources to make this page shine, or, I thought I did, until I remembered that I have a degree in graphics arts and, time permitting, can create my own artwork. On top of that I already have artwork I can show off, some of which has taken me years to create. I am going to start posting it, as well as go into discussions about other things not related to Azureden or my books, which includes my modeling hobby. Don’t roll your eyes just yet. I’ve put a lot of work into this hobby and what’s come out of it has been nothing short of impressive for all but the most jaded of fellow hobbyists, and I will be happy to share it with you all. I will also discuss my current ‘place’ within the hobby as well as my past experiences and even some things about when I worked for one of the companies. I hope it will be enlightening. For now, if you are into modeling or miniature wargaming, feel free to friend me on FB as I always enjoy discussing it with other enthusiasts.

Second, I would like to “grow” the world of the Azurden series and my other works to help foster interest in the series as a whole, and the entirety of the lore it represents. Therefore I’m going to post things about my universe, where I got the inspiration, and why certain characters are who they are, hopefully with some artwork. In time I hope this encompasses a HUGE literary universe akin to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Game of Thrones, but only time will tell. Until then, I hope you at least enjoy the tidbits about my story and how such elements came to be. Also, in case you’re wondering, there will be no plot reveals, sorry.

Finally, in order for this all to work I will need to schedule how I update this blog. This is something I have been putting off as I don’t like to be tied down to social media outlets, but if it represents something I enjoy and can be involved with, then it shouldn’t be a problem to update at least once a week. Right now, I’m toying with the idea of doing Azurden and other works one day a week, while doing my hobbies and interests on another day of the week. Which days, I haven’t decided yet, but I’m thinking Monday and Thursday respectively. If this turns out to be too much, or if I’m eating through material too quickly, I may cut it back to Wednesday only, as was my original intention. Until then, expect this site to get some new things added once I can manage it. Also, you can expect announcements and shout outs to keep coming as normal, or I should say, as sporadically as they happen. (which I hope will be more often). Stay well everyone. Change is coming.